It has been found that sales of goods, such as drinks, foods, convenience articles, and other goods sold to consumers, may be increased, promoted or facilitated, by including with the goods a premium separate from the goods being purchased. The premium induces the sale of the goods by offering to the consumer a perceived additional value at little or no additional cost to the consumer over the ordinary cost of the article. The additional value may take the form of a rebate, credit, discount, or second article. For example, toiletries and perfumes frequently are sold in combination with premium articles such as a separate container having a sample of related goods, a carrying case, or other similar articles.
The use of premiums is a marketing technique often used in combination with advertising and promotional campaigns in support of major motion pictures. Often there are "tie-ins" of goods or services offered by other companies. The companies involved pay licensing fees for the right to advertise, market, and sell "tie-in" products and services. The use of premiums as "tie-ins" for sales of goods is typically used in the "fast food" industry for inducing sales of foods. Fast food stores typically offer a children's meal together with a premium as an inducement to the parents through their children to purchase foods at the store for the child, and preferably, for the parent also, thereby increasing the overall sales of the store. The premium typically is enclosed in a separate container and placed with the food products in a bag for delivery to the consumer.
Often the premium is a novelty item associated with the advertising and marketing program of another, such as a major motion picture. The novelty article takes the form of a figurine, toy, or article related to or involved with the motion picture or similar promotion for consumers. In addition, the containers used for the fast food also typically include features in support of the marketing and promotional program. These features include story and illustrations related to the particular subject of the promotional program. For example, many such advertising and marketing programs provide special drink cups and bags with illustrations which tie-in or are associated with the promotional program.
The illustrations on the drink cups generally depict an action scene or other exciting incident from the tie-in program. Attention to key elements of the scene or incident is directed through the use of color and shapes. Heretofore it has not been practical to use a signalling device such as a light or sound to direct the attention to portions of the illustrated scene.
Novelty articles however have included switched signalling devices for generating lights and sounds. These novelty articles include toy vehicles, such as toy emergency police or fire vehicles and road construction equipment, and other toys, including monster-type creatures and action characters. The lights and sounds generally are initiated for brief durations by a button-switch located on an exterior surface of the toy.
Such switched devices however have not been entirely satisfactory during use. For example, the signal generating device must be re-actuated frequently by the user of the toy during play in order to continue the lights and sounds.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an improved switch for actuating signalling devices in novelty articles during use.